Exercise is linked to increased muscle strength, improved heart health, and lower blood sugar, in addition to countless health benefits.
Now, a new large-scale study, led by Stanford Medicine, has looked into the secret behind exercise's actual benefit.
The researchers conducted nearly 10,000 analyzes of about 20 types of tissues, to detect the effect of 8 weeks of exercise on laboratory mice.
The findings highlight the amazing effects of exercise on the immune system, stress response, energy production and metabolism.
The research team uncovered important links between exercise and molecules and genes known to be linked to a myriad of human diseases.
“Our study is the first to take a comprehensive look at molecular changes at the body level, from proteins to genes to fat metabolites and energy production,” said Professor of Pathology Stephen Montgomery, one of the authors of the study published in the journal Nature.
The researchers noted that the expression of 22 genes changes with exercise in many tissues. Many of these genes were involved in changes in internal temperature (burning sensation), infection, or tissue remodeling (new muscle fibers).
Other genes were involved in pathways that reduce blood pressure and increase the body's sensitivity to insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels.
The researchers also noted that the expression of several genes involved in type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and kidney disease was reduced in exercised mice compared to their sedentary counterparts.
The study identified gender differences in how multiple tissues in male and female mice respond to exercise. It was found that male rats lost about 5% of their body fat after 8 weeks of exercise, while females did not lose significant fat.
But the biggest difference in gene expression was observed in the mice's adrenal glands. After one week, genes associated with the generation of steroid hormones, such as adrenaline and energy production, increased in male mice, but decreased in female mice.
“In the long run, we're unlikely to find any magical intervention that reproduces what exercise can do for someone,” Montgomery said. But we may be getting closer to the idea of precision exercise (making recommendations based on a person's genes, sex, age or other health conditions to generate Beneficial whole-body responses).
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